Clamping device for sliding doors.



H. 15 J, DOMMER.

CLAMPING DEVICE FOR SLIDING DOORS.

APPLIUATIQN FILED 11111111914.

191 l 7,6431, Patented Nov..1'?, 1914.

J y j 1 O O O O O O iZ/f W1; Q am JM UNITED STAES PATENT FFCE.

HERMAN DOMMER AND JOHN DOMUS/IER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLAMPING DEVICE FOR SLIDING DOORS.

.To /z/l ylli/tom it may con cern lic it known that we. llrnMAN DoMMEuand Joux Donunn. citizens of the United States, residing at ('hirago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented crrtain new anduseful Improvements in Clamping Devices for Sliding Doors, of which thefollowingr is a sptwiliration.

The present. invention relatesI to clamping devices for sliding doors,and is particularly designed for use on freight carshaving doors whichare suspended from a track at thel top, being confined by means of guidebrackets. lt frequently happens that in this type of doors .the freightsettles against the. door during a trip, and causes it to bind againstthe guide brackets which makes it very dilli cult to slide the dooropen.

It is the object of the invention to overcome this difliculty byproviding a clamping device of simple construction which securely holdsthe door during a trip, and which is adjustable to release the door andallow the same to be easily opened.

For a complete understanding of thel invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawing whereinn Y Figure 1 is a front; elevation showingthe application of the invention; Fig. 2 is a section'on the line 2-.JotFig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-43 of Fig. 2.

Referring specifically to the drawin'r, at 10 is shown a door slidablysuspended irom a track 11 mounted on the side of a freight car. To thesill 12 are secured the clamping devices which form the subject matterof the present invention. Two clamping devices are shown, but -it isobvious that the number may be varied to suit different conditions. Eachclamping device consists of a bracket 13 providedv with an outstandingboltin flange 14 whereby it is secured to the sill 12. The outer portionof the bracket is provided with an upstanding lug 14 which limits theoutward swing of the door. The bracket is recessed from the top to thebottom, and in said recess is located a clamping member 15, swinginglaterall)7 with respect to the door, the lower end of which member issecured to the corresponding portion of the bracket by a pivot pin 16.The upper end of the clamping member extends up above the top of thebracket and has an enlarged portion or jaw 17 adapted to engage abracket 17*l Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 9,1914.

the lower cud of the door' Pat ented Nov. 17, 1914. serial No. 823,504.

mounted on the outer side of the door und extending below the same. Thelug i4a is provided with a recess 18 to accommodate the )aw portion 17of the clamping member when the latter is swung out to release the door.

The clamping member 15 is provided with a slot 15) extending ohliquclyin an outward and upward direction from a point near the pivot pin 16.The upper end ofthe slot terminates in a short inward bend 20. A roller21 carried by a slotted rocker arm 22 works in the Vslot 1f). A shaft Q3is journalcd in the brackets 13, and the rocker arms or both clampingdevices are secured to said shaft. Ihe shaft is square in cross-sectionand provided with flanged bearing rings 23a. One end ot tlnl shaft 23 isprovided with an operating lever 24. The lever is pivoted to thi` .shaftas shown at 25 in order to permit it to he swung out of the way when theclamping device is released.

ly swinging the lever Q4 up against the side ol' the rar7 the rockerarms 22 are swung to :i snhstantially`horizontal position, the rollers2l riding up the oblique slots 1S) and toi-ring the clamping members 15against the brackets 17a. In this position the rollers rest in theinward bends 2O at the upper ends of the slots, and there is no tendencyof the rollers to ridi` down the slots. The lever 24 may be scaled tothe side of the car. lVhen the door is to be opened. the lever 24 isswung out from the car, causing the rollers 21 to ride down to the lowerend of the slots 19 and swing the clampingr member l5 away from thebracket 17 until the jaw portion 1T rests in the recess 18 in the lug14". Then the door is free to be swung out slightly and may beeasily'slid open.

The shaft 23 forming the pivot of the rocker arms 22 is located betweenthe sill. 12 and the intermediate portion of the clamping members 15,whereby the structure is placed close to the sill, and rendered morecompactv than would be possible otherwise, and there are no parts on thecar therefrom an excessive distance. We claim:

l. The combination with a slidin door and a sill. of a bracket mountedon t e sill, a. door clamping member pivoted to the bracket andoperating laterally of the door, said member having an oblique slot, airock i shaft carried by the sill and located between thc sill and theintermediate portion of the projecting diam ping Working m clampingx'nember, and

the. fsck shaft.

The uomonatm'; with im a) si', o a bracket mou a oms dampmg operai-mg laterlly mms@ er afm im said the roc-ker arm am ot for swinging tha meansfor operating a sliding door nted on the s l, oted l*co the; of the slotextending o f the Siu ma with respect 0 band,

I swinging between the. .s and the ltsrmeate p01- ton of the clampingmembel, a maker arm on said shaft, means cm'ie by the rocker arm an@working in the oblque slot im: the clamping msmbe, and means Groperating therock shsft. I In testimony whereof We, ax our signatures inpresence of' two Witnesses. HERB/MJ Dom/Em JOEE EGMMER.' Witnesses:

S. J. Luffam?

